I. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to pouring spouts for material containers and, in particular, to a flexible pouring spout having a container cover molded around the peripheral edge of the spout with its tamper-evident ring to provide dual evidence of tampering with the container closure.
II. Description of the Prior Art
For many years, flexible pouring spouts have been used on industrial containers to facilitate repeated closure of the container using a cap member while also providing means for pouring material from the container. The spout is nested within the closure to form a low profile allowing stacking of the containers. As necessary, the spout may be pulled out to create a pouring spout for the container. One widely known spout is constructed of a low density polyethylene (LDPE) providing flexibility while the cap member threadably secured to the spout is constructed of a high density polyethylene (HDPE).
While the closure members have been regularly improved to incorporate new features, mounting of the closure within the container lid has posed problems related to quality control and product integrity. In one well-known method, a metal ring is used to secure the spout within the container lid. The spout is positioned within an opening in the container cover. The metal ring is crimped over the outer peripheral flange of the spout to hold the spout within the cover. However, the integrity of the container is left to speculation because the closure can be removed and replaced without detection. Efforts to overcome this disadvantage have included ultrasonically welding the closure within the container cover. Although essentially bonding the closure to the lid, this product has not been widely accepted because of problems with the repeatability of the process, high capital expenditures, maintenance on the tooling and product limitations. Both of these methods for securing a closure within a container cover have additional disadvantages associated with added material costs, capital expenditures for insertion machinery, and recovery or recycling costs of multiple component containers.